Improvement in cements for preparing masts, spars



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED JEFFERY, OF LLOYDS STREET, PENTONVILLE, COUNTY OF MID DLESEX,ENGLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN CEMENTS FOR PREPARING MASTS,SPARS, 80C.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 3,027, dated April 6,1843; I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED J EFFERY, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritaimand now residing at Lloyds Street, Pentonville, in the county ofMiddlesex, gentleman, have invented or discovered a new and usefulComposition orGlue, which Idesignatea Vegetable Glue and I, the saidALFRED JEFFERY, do hereby declare the nature of the invention and themanner in which the same is to be performed are fully describedv andascertained in and by the following statement thereof-that is to say:

The nature of my invention consists in making a composition or gluewhich is'insoluble in water and more elastic than glue in ordinary use.

My said composition or glue may be used for various purposes; but I havefound it more particularly applicable to the purposes of preparing mastsand spars, ofjoiuing or cement,

ing together several pieces of wood or stone, of strengthening suchpieces of timber as are usually called shaky pieces, of paying theseams, defending the sheathing, and protecting the sides and bottoms ofships, and of protecting wood or stone work which is to be exposed tothe action of water.

I shall now describe the manner in which I make my said composition orglue; but I wish first to observe that I prefer to make it with aproportion of caoutchouc, and that I make it without using anycaoutchouc, or with a less proportion of that article where it is to beapplied in situations exposed to great atmospheric action, in whichcases the caontchouc would have a tendency to contract.

To make my said composition or glue with caoutchouc I use a solutionwhich I call my crude naphtha caoutchouc solution, and to' make thissolution I mix cao'utchouc of good quality (giving the preference toEast India caoutchouc) with coal naphtha, commonly called crude or roughnaphtha,in the proportion of one pound of the caoutchouc to four gallonsof the naphtha. I cut the caoutchouc into thin shreds before I use it,and I stirthe mixture of caoutchouc and naphtha occasionally by anyconvenient means until the caoutchouo is so dissolved as to bring themixture to a thickness about the same asthick cream.

I generally find that the caoutchouc is sufficiently dissolved in aboutten or twelve days. To proceed to make my said composition or glue withcaoutchouc I then take one part, by weight, of my said crude naphthacaoutchouc solution, and two parts, by weight, of gumlac or shellac; butI give the preference to shellac. I put these materials into an ironvessel having a tap in the lower part to provide for drawing off thecomposition'or glue, as hereinafter mentioned, and I heat this vesselfor the amalgamation of the said materials.

Hot water, steam, or firemay be applied in any convenient manner for thepurpose of heating the vessel; but if fire is appliedcare should betaken to avoid the mixture being brought in contact with it. During theapplication of heat to the vessel I stir the mixture occasionally, and 1continue to apply heat until the solution and the lac are thoroughlyamalgamated. This mixture is my composition or glue made withcaoutchouc. I draw it from the vessel in which it has been made, whileheated,as aforesaid, through the tap provided for that purpose, and pourit upon the slabs to cool it, and when it has been cooled it may be cutinto pieces for use.

To make my said composition or glue without caoutchouc I mix one part,by weight, of coal naphtha, called crude or rough naphtha, as aforesaid,and two parts, by weight,

of gum-lac or shellac, (giving the preference to shellac,) and I proceedwith these ingredients in the same manner as hereinbefore mentioned inrespect to the process when I use caoutchouc, substituting only thecoal-naphtha for the before-mentioned solution, and this makes my saidcomposition or glue without caoutchouc.

I have stated the proportions-in which I use the ingredients which 1have described in making my said composition or glue; but theseproportions may be varied, and on the one hand a larger proportion oflac may be used either to produce greater hardness in the saidcomposition or glue or when the article or material to which it isintended to be applied is to be exposed to great atmospheric action, or,on the other hand, a larger proportion of the caoutchouc solution (whenthe said composition orglue is madewith caoutchouc) or of the naphtha(where made without caoutchouc) to produce greater softness orelasticity. v

I use my said composition or glue to prepare masts and spars by applyingit to fix or join together the parts of masts or spars, and when I useit for any of these purposes which are hereinbefore mentioned I put itinto an iron plying my said composition or glue to fix or join togetherthe parts of masts or spars, or to join or cement together pieces ofwood or stone, I spread it as evenly as possible by means of a stiffbrush upon the surfaces which I pro-V pose to fix or join or cementtogether; but care should be taken that the surfaces are dry when thecomposition or glue is applied to them, and they must be completelycoated or covered with it. After the surfaces have been thus coated orcovered they must be joined or put together and pressed together by anyconvenient means; but it will be found that the temperature of thecomposition or'glue is reduced very quickly after being spread upon thesurfaces, and if the temperature be reduced s) that the composition orglue becomes stiff the composition or glue must be warmed again byapplying a heat of about 140 Fahrenheit until it becomes softandliquefied. This may be done by applying hot irons or by any otherconvenient means, and while the composition or glue is in this soft orliquefied state the masts or spars or pieces of wood or stone are to bejoined or put together and pressed, as above pointed out in the firstinstance, and the parts or pieces of wood or stone may then be wedged orbolted together in any ordinary manner, as may be required. If thesurfaces which-are to be fixed or joined or cemented together are even,I prefer a thin coating of the composition or glue to. each surface; butif any such surface contain inequalities, then its coating must besufficiently thick to fill up the cavities and to leave an even surfaceof the composition or glue.

In applying my said composition or glue to make good such defectivepieces of wood as are commonly called shaky pieces, I fill up thecrevices with it while it is at a tempera ture of about 250 Fahrenheitby pouring it into them or by any other convenient means. When I use mysaid composition or glue for paying the seams of ships I prefer that theseams shall be first calked with oakum orin any other ordinary mannerand after they have been thus calked I cover the calking and fill up theseams with composition or glue in ahot state in the same manner as pitchis usually applied for the same purpose, and after the composition orglue has become cold I dress and clean ofl the seams in the usual way,and I afterward plane the decks.

In applying my said composition or glue to defend the sheathing andprotect the sides and bottoms of ships, or to protect wood or stone workwhich is tobe exposed to the action of water, I coat or cover thesheathing and the sides and bottoms of ships and such .wood and stonework, as aforesaid, in the following manner, viz: Several coats of mycomposition or glue must be applied until the coating or covering is ofthe thickness of aboutthe eighth of an inch, and such coating should belaid on at intervals of about a week in order that each preceding coatmay be sufficiently dry before the succeeding coat is applied, andsufficient time should be allowed for the last coat to become dry beforetheship is floated or the wood or stone work is exposed to the action ofwater.

In coatingor coveringlthose parts of the sheathing or the sides orbottoms of ships which are below the water, or such wood-work as is tobe exposed to the action of water, I use composition or glue which hasbeen impregnated with corrosive sublimate for every coat subsequent tothe first.

The composition or glue may be thinned, if required to make it workfreely,-by adding such coal -naphtha,' as before mentioned, in smallquantities. When the last coat has been applied I smooth the surface bythe application of heat; but care should be taken not to apply a.greater degree .of heat than will be sufficient for this purpose.

In covering metal sheathing the adhesion of the composition or gluewould be increased by slightly roughening the surface of'the sheathing,and by warming the sheathing immediately before the composition or glueis applied sufliciently to remove any damp or moisture.

To impregnate my said composition or glue with corrosive sublimate I usea solution which for reference I call the solution of corrosivesublimate, and to'make this solution I mix two parts, by weight, ofcorrosive sublimate (which is first to be reduced to a state of finepowder) with three parts, by weight, of white naphtha in a glazedearthenware vessel, and cover the vessel. I then stir the mixture .00-

casionally to facilitate the dissolving the sub-,

limate, and so soon as the sublimate is dissolved I add six like parts,by weight, of such coal-naphtha, asatoresaid, and stir the whole untilthe several ingredients are well mixed. I then take twelve parts,byweigh t, of my said composition or glue, and dissolve it in'an ironvessel by heating it in such a manneras I have, hereinbefore deseri bedin reference to the manner of using my said composition or glue, and Ithen add to it one part, by weight, of my said solution of corrosivesublimate, and stir the mixture with any wooden instrument until theingredients have been well mixed.

I have described the materials with which I make my said composition orglue, and the proportions in which I use such materials, but do notconfine myself thereto, so long as the character of the glue be retainedbut WhatI claim is- 1. The composition or glue of caout'choue andshellac or gum-lac in solution.

2. The composition or glue composed of shellac or gum-lac in solution.

' Witnesses: ALFRED J EFFERY. S. OARPMAEL, JNo. ALoooK,

Lincolns Inn, London.

